That was really a roundabout way of saying that I've had a busy half term and I am not up with the news. I gather someone said something or other about the EU referendum. Fine, whatever. I also gather that the Chancellor has decided to waive the VAT for the Live 8 concert. How fine to be Bob Geldof and not have to pay tax on your charity concert because it is for a good cause! Less well-connected promoters of charity concerts aren't so lucky.

Hundreds of charities will learn with shock of the recent ruling by a VAT tribunal that HM Customs and Excise are right to demand up to £100,000 from a country house opera company, which thought it was exempt from VAT because all its profits go to charitable causes. The case arose because, in their interpretation of EC law, the Vat-men decided that a "profit" and a "loss" are the same thing. The tribunal has now agreed.

And

As a trustee of the charity, Mr Graham's mistake, in the eyes of the Vat-men, was to write a letter to his fellow-trustees confirming that, in the event of any losses, he would meet them out of his own pocket. HM Customs swooped on this to argue that this gave him a "financial interest" in the charity.

Perhaps the opera guys should threaten to call down a million-strong yoof swarm on little Longborough? That seems to be the way to get exemption from the law.